INDUSTRIAL DEVICE INVESTMENTS

Investments led by logic, not rules. With focused experience, we drive results, operator to operator.

IDI is a southeast based investment company led by John Dalton, a three decade industrial products veteran with experience in all company functions and as a private equity investor with SouthPointe Ventures in Atlanta. John’s past experience began with General Electric and Black & Decker, and includes senior leadership and ownership positions with smaller organizations focused on unique technologies within basic industries. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina. He and his family live in Knoxville.

What we invest in

IDI invests in manufacturers of industrial devices, sensors, machinery and instruments. More specifically, we prefer specialty product companies that have the following characteristics.

$5 - $50 million in revenues, and $1 - $6 million in earnings

Strong technical features, such that "use expertise" is value added

Opportunity to improve by stronger strategic focus and strong operational execution, but not turnarounds

Perceptics is approaching 40 years of existence, and was acquired from Northrop Grumman in 2006. Perceptics’ primary product is high accuracy license plate readers, complemented with container and truck DOT code readers, with primary technical capabilities of image processing, optical character recognition and pattern matching. Perceptics’ heritage is at the national border, as sole supplier to US Customs & Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency. More recent efforts target high performance systems in the electronic toll collection industry for efficient open road tolling. The company now has 70 people with 44 degreed engineers.

Via SouthPointe Ventures

Sunbelt is a niche distributor of packaging, strapping, and industrial thread supplies and equipment, used across virtually all industries. The company was founded in 1980 and services the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia. The company’s deep product offerings, foreign sourcing, 24/7 customer service, and technical expertise keep it a leader in its industry.

EXITED INVESTMENTS (via SouthPointe Ventures)

New York, NY & Spartanburg, SC

Covington Industries, founded in 1940, is a world-class converter of decorative and commercial fabrics. The company provides proprietary designs and sophisticated foreign sourcing of fabrics and yarns sold to retail, hospitality, furniture, and durable commercial goods markets.

Lithonia, Georgia

Tucker Architectural Millworks is a manufacturer of premium, handcrafted doors, windows, and molding. TAM’s primary markets include historic renovation and preservation, luxury residential homes, and commercial construction throughout the Southeast and Southwest US.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Aerial Access Equipment is a leading provider of high-reach man lifts, aerial work platforms, boom lifts, scissor lifts and related lift equipment rentals, service and sales to the marine, petro-chemical, and construction industries in the Louisiana and Texas Gulf coast area.

Great business and great communities

IDI has led, through Perceptics, the creation of the Perceptics Foundation. Built upon employee time and money contributions, the Foundation triples the good, and is approaching a million dollars of employee sponsored donations.